News

13/07/2017

Doorstep To Desk

Public Health Wales has published a new easy-to-use visual guide to help organisations play a bigger part in encouraging children to walk or cycle to school.

With fewer than half of children in Wales currently walking or cycling to primary school, the new ‘doorstep to desk’ guide shows how housing developers, transport officers, planners, and even police could play a vital role in making walking and cycling to school an easier choice.

The guide has been produced in consultation with experts from the Active Travel to School National Stakeholder Group - a multi-agency group working to make walking, scooting, or cycling the preferred way of getting to school for children in Wales.

“We want to give children the confidence to make walking and cycling their first choice for getting around. That’s why we’re already working with schools to promote active travel through our Welsh Network of Healthy Schools schemes. But there’s more we can all do.

“Parents and children are influenced by many factors when they decide how they’re going to get to school, including how it feels to travel through their community.

“This new ‘doorstep to desk’ guide will help organisations work in a coordinated way, and consider their contribution to making walking, cycling or scooting to school a safe, enjoyable and popular choice.”

Steve Brooks, National Director at Sustrans Cymru said:

“We work with schools throughout Wales to provide information and help to develop the skills that make walking and cycling easier. It’s imperative that organisations and community groups now work together to help younger generations across Wales lead more active and healthier lifestyles. Cycling and walking need to be safe, straightforward and attractive options in order to achieve this.

“The ‘doorstep to desk’ guide highlights how we can work collectively to create better spaces, that prioritise people and make walking and cycling the healthy and safe way of getting around.”

Active travel could play a significant part in building a healthier, happier and fairer Wales, as well as contributing towards a lower carbon society, and safer, well-connected communities.

Join in the conversation about what you can do to help more children walk or cycle to school on Twitter using #DoorstepToDesk.